Losing Sleep
by To Be A Necessity
Summary: Snip; the scissors cut my hair to a short length. The dark red dye completely makes me look different. No one will ever find me; no one.
1. All That I Am

**I KNOW I haven't been finishing my stories BUT I have this one finished as of today and I WILL post it all!**

**This story is about ten chapters, so it's not that long. BUT this is a 'darker' fic and it does get more intense.**

**ECLARE WILL SURVIVE!**

**Enjoy :)**

Chapter 1: All That I Am

NOTE: Clare has long hair in this; her hair during ninth grade.

_Her_. The one that sits next to Eli as she twirls a piece of his hair in between her index finger and thumb. That's the one person I'm jealous of.

I don't have anyone. My brain doesn't want to function. _The worst happens to the best of us_; there's no better damn quote than _that_.

I know he's not in love. The look in his eyes makes it distinct that he wants nothing more than to be away from Imogen Moreno as she drowns him with her boring stories. He smiles to show me that he sees me watching. He wants me to live in misery.

He has every right to. I was the one who dumped him; he deserves happiness.

I'm an ugly girl. I'll die alone. I know that Jake won't be in my life forever; he'll find someone better.

All my other exes have.

School seems to be double the time it used to be. No more real smiles, no more jokes; just fake smiles I give to Adam and Jake to reassure them… and myself.

I open my front door. My parents aren't going to be home for a few days; I already know it. The promises they make are always broken; I'm always home alone. I wanted this—so that I could be with Eli more. We had a future; we had plans after high school.

"Boo!" Jake slightly pokes at my shoulders from behind me, making me jump in fear.

"Oh my God," I loudly exclaim, trying to calm myself down. "Were you following me home?"

Jake shrugged, a small smile forming on his lips. "Maybe," he says with a raising tone. I roll my eyes as I release my fake smile. "I thought you might want company" He replies.

I sigh deeply. I don't want to have company right now, but I know that that'll blow my cover. "Right on the target." I sarcastically mutter.

My parents love Jake; at least, as much as they know about him. If they knew the other half of him…

They'd love Eli to no end.

Jake came over frequently when they weren't over; it was like he was part of the family. He wouldn't wait outside for me to invite him in; he'd make himself at home until he heard a car come up to the front of the house. Then before I know it, he's out the back door.

A pair of hands reaches my waist, and his lips meet the side of my neck. This wasn't comfortable at all; the awkwardness was all over the room. "What do you say we try something _new_ today?" He asks, continuing to kiss my neck.

I hesitantly remove his hands from my waist, but his grip becomes tighter. I let out a breath of pain before I turn my head to look at him. "Not right now Jake," I murmur, sounding defeated. "Please. My parents will be home any minute."

My head shoots forward and I hear Jake chuckle. "Trust me babe," He adds, tucking a curl behind my ear. "I know they're not coming. We both know that." My breathing hitches as I understand what he's saying. "I've been making sure that you're safe—being a good boyfriend, I like to think of it as. I try my best to make sure that your parents will be there when I'm gone, but I end up staying in my car the whole night. And I'm tired of it."

"That's why you're always here early." I whisper, feeling his hot breath roll down my neck.

I know I'm in some deep shit by now. I've never had a… stalker. At least I don't think I've had one.

I have to keep my cool until I can get a plan formed in my mind, but I can't seem to think clearly already.

Picking me up, he kisses me on the lips angrily as if he can't get enough. My back becomes pinned against the wall as I attempt to push him off of me.

"Stop Jake." I say, loud enough for him to hear. I get no reply. "Stop!" I yell, my actions becoming frantic. Jake puts a hand over my mouth and my eyes grow.

"Stop yelling," he whispers in my ear. "You'll love it."

…

I'm even more broken than I thought I could be.

No one's going to come looking for me, strewn across my bed, my cheeks stained from my constant outbreaks. The silence I wanted when I got home was finally here…

I have nothing. No one cares. The people who I thought did turned out to be liars. Adam was always with Eli nowadays. Every book has the wrong cover.

I screwed up. I chose the wrong decision and got stuck with a rapist who didn't let me leave. Constant warnings came my way about the secret I couldn't tell anyone about.

I sluggishly crawl to my closet, and the pain is still there. The pain _he_ promised would go away. My faith was now broken. There is no God; there never was. I grab my old, dirty backpack and use all the force I have to get it out from underneath all of my extra blankets.

The backpack looks like a purse in a way; if anyone sees me, they won't know it's the last time they'll see Clare Edwards. I grab clothing, necklaces, _headphones…_

I find my mother's secret money pile in her sock drawer; a few hundred that I could live off of for a few days. I take the old credit card which she believes is "the Devil", and never bothers to look at the bills for.

A smile lightly caressed my cheeks. I'm going to get away with this.

I'm going to run away.

…

The Dot looks at me in a sincere way, saying its last goodbye. I smile at the newly built building, knowing that this is a good thing. No one would expect such a thing.

I ride my bike to Adam's house. I wrote a letter to everyone that I thought would need an informal goodbye; two in all. I tape the paper to the front door and run as fast as I can back to my bike. No one can see me; I can't take my time. I just have to go to Eli's house and give him his note…

Or should I send it? I don't want him to see me on any term, but I know that I have to. It's the last thing of my pride that I have; it's what should be given to him by person, not by a non-caring mailman who could lose it.

I run faster than I did at Adam's house to the door, not bothering to park my bike. There's a lot of noise coming from inside the house, but I still work quickly. I jump over the stairs and run towards my bike, falling on something I hadn't seen.

Another bike lay on the lawn, and I can tell that it's _hers_…

They're spending more time together. The thought brings me to tears. I knew this was a bad idea; mailing it would've been less painful.

I reach the end of his property when I hear, "I can't deal with you right now! Just leave." I pedal faster than I did before—had he seen me?

It didn't matter; he made it clear that he hated me.

…

"Just leave." I plead to Imogen. She has the look in her eyes that makes it look like she's crying, but I know it's an act. It always is with her.

"B—but why can't you t—talk about this with m—me?" She shakily asks, trying to get me to cave. I roll my eyes at her.

"Goodbye Imogen," I murmur, waving her out of the house. She doesn't have the decency to even keep her bike standing; instead, it lay lazily on the lawn.

Something hits my face as I'm about to close the door; a piece of paper?

"What the hell…" I murmur to myself, yanking it off. Imogen just doesn't know when to quit!

I crumple the letter in my hands and toss it into the trash. Damn stalker that woman is. Bullfrog watches me shoot it into the trash can with a curious expression.

"Imogen." I respond to the unasked question.

Bullfrog returns his sympathy with a small smile, feeling the same about her as I do. "She'll stop soon enough, just keep strong." He adds, and I roll my eyes.

She's never going to stop trying.

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><p><strong>P<strong>**lease feel free to review, alert, favorite; whatever you guys do. ;)**


	2. Back Again

**Two days.**

**Until.**

**Degrassi.**

**Isn't anyone else excited?**

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><p>Chapter 2: Back Again<p>

School remains the same. An annoying girl giggles in my ear almost all day, laughing about something that she must've thought about. Still seems like she hasn't gotten the message across. Adam, across from us at the table outside, is acting strange, but I don't think he'd tell with Imogen around. He likes her as much as Clare does.

Clare loves this weather…

Imogen's giggle destroys the thought for a moment. I smile up at her to make her think I'm listening; it's become a habit.

But she has her times of making me happy. I've gotten better since attending therapy, I don't get as attached to people (even though I haven't had many to get attached to), and people don't bother me anymore. It must be because of the whole "he's a psycho" rumor going around. Then again, it may not be a rumor.

A police car rolls into school grounds, gathering all the attention in sight of it. We've had plenty of cop cars come here, but it never means anything good.

It means the whole opposite.

The men step out of the car and one looks around. Adam raises his hand, acknowledging he was there. The cop walks calmly towards where we sit.

"Adam," I mutter under my breath. "What're you doing?" Imogen looked as confused as I was; what did Adam have to do with the police? Adam turns to give us a look that neither of us understands. He has a plan that he didn't tell us about.

"Adam Torres?" The police officer asks. Adam nods his head.

Once he sees Imogen and me he pauses for a second. "You were the one that called—correct?"

Adam nods his head once again. "Yes; I'm reporting a lost friend; she recently just left."

She. _She._ Who's she?

"Adam!" Jake Martin yells, jogging over to us. "Have you seen Clare? I was supposed to drive her to school today." That toothy obnoxious grin he always wears makes me want to punch him until it comes off.

Is this guy anywhere I'm _not_?

Adam's tantrum gets the best of him as he screams lowly and hides his face in his hands. "Go away!" He growls, not looking up before Jake's departure.

"Come on, Eli. Let's go." Imogen whispers in my ear, standing from the bench seat. She grabs my arm but I pull out of her grasp, not bothering to answer her. She didn't know how much this conversation might mean to me…

The police officer sits down next to Adam, unfazed by me staying. "Can you give a description of her?"

Adam hums an approval. "She's short, has long auburn hair and wears mostly floral. She's in between with her weight; curvy, mostly. She reads a lot and has good grades."

The police officer writes for a few seconds before asking, "Do you have any idea of why she would run away?"

"Who?" I ask, finding enough courage to, even though I know who. Maybe this is a bad dream I'm having. Adam looks at me for a second.

"Don't give me that, Eli." He growls, but I still don't understand.

"Give me a hint?" I ask, growing impatient.

Adam sighs deeply before the police officer asks, "What's her name? I should've asked you that first."

Adam looks at me one more time before answering. "Clare Edwards. Age fifteen; grade ten."

The world slows down immediately. It doesn't make sense. I just saw her in school yesterday—she seemed fine. Having Jake as her boyfriend, her friends, what else did she need?

What could make her so unhappy that she ran away?

"Why?" I whisper to myself. Adam shoves a note in my face.

"She gave you one, too." He states angrily.

"No she didn't." I reply, befuddled. "Imogen gave me one and-"

It finally makes sense; I never thought Imogen would be one to write me a 'letter'.

Adam would've responded to me but I ran to my car, shoving the keys into the ignition. If God was on my side, even though I didn't believe him, the letter would be untouched in the trash.

And still in the house.

I call Clare's cell a few times as I'm driving like a maniac once again. This was the road where I freaked; where I closed my eyes and trashed Morty. A tear runs down my cheek as my hopes are let down by the sound of her answering machine.

"Clare," I say in a broken tone. "Please call me back. I—I need to talk to you and y—you know better than _anyone_ not to run away. Please call me when you can; I need to make sure you're okay."

Cece's still at home, watching me with a confused expression as I tear the trash bag apart. "I need that damn letter!" I yell at myself, looking through the mess I just created.

"Baby boy…?" Cece curiously asks, still frozen. I look up at her with widened eyes.

"Did you throw out the trash yesterday?" The words jumble out of my mouth like a waterfall. Cece shakes her head.

"It's still there—all over the floor now." She humorously adds. "Did you throw out something accidentally?"

"Yeah—yep I did." I spill out the words. "C—Clare went missing and shewrotemealetterineedtogetit."

It becomes quiet as Cece tries to understand. "Clare went missing?" She quietly squeaks.

I nod in response, kicking the broken bag. "It's my entire fault!" I yell, creating a silence. I hadn't had an outbreak in so long; we all thought I was getting better.

Cece looks around at the mess surrounding me, seeing if she could point out anything to help me. She crouches and picks up a half-wet paper, handing it to me with disgust.

"_That_ looks like a letter." She responds, her face still scrunched. I try my hardest not to rip the paper.

I sigh heavily. "I'm gonna have to wait until it dries." I announce, putting it on the windowsill. My hand runs through my messy hair.

Cece looks awkwardly at me. "Do you want to stay home...? School just started, but it's your choice." Her expression looks concerned for my actions, though I don't blame her.

"I'll stay home." I whisper, walking up to my room. As much as I want to run out of that door and not come back home until I find her, I have to wait.

An agonizing wait.

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><p><strong>Please review :) I hope to get up to 6 for the next chapter.<strong>

**PREVIEW:**

I chuck my backpack across the room, the contents spilling all over the floor. I scream lowly, making sure the receptionist won't hear me. I kick the bed repeatedly before stomping my way to the bathroom.

I look at my hideous image reflected in the mirror. "You've done this to yourself." I spat at it, my anger well shown. "And you're going to make this go the way it was planned."


	3. Words Meet Heartbeats

**I'M SORRY I haven't updated in a while! I've had this on my doc manager since Sunday but I've recently started working, and let me tell you, I am worn out!**

**Enjoy ;)**

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><p>Chapter 3: Words Meet Heartbeats<p>

_Click. Clack. Click. Clack._

I pass the sound of hooker heels connecting with the sidewalk, but I don't bother to see who it is. This town's already showed its 'colorful' side to me in less than an hour. It's creepy.

I need to check into a hotel; the sun is just saying its sad farewell as it disappears over the hilltops. Most of the people here seem to accept me; they don't ask me how old I am or why I'm alone. They don't ask me why I look like a mess or why I buy this and that.

I would live here if I could, but I have to keep moving on. A new day, a new town.

I park my bike in front of the hotel, walking into the cool building. The receptionist smiles lightly at me and I try to return it. "May I help you?" She asks.

"I need a one night room, one bed, please." I reply, pulling out my mom's credit card. She eyes me once before taking the card, knowing that something's up. But does she care? No.

"Your room is on the right." She says, handing me the room keys.

That was the longest conversation I've had today.

…

The room wasn't in any bad condition; the room was newly painted an off white and the bathroom was cleaned to perfection. I didn't dare look at myself in the mirror to see how bad I look.

I turn the TV on and slump lazily onto the bed, getting lost in the comfort of it.

"_Clare Edwards…_" The reporter drawls out, and I open an eye. They've already started looking for me, and I'm not even a full 48 hours into it? I pick myself up as I lean closer to the TV. "_If seen, please call the phone number at the bottom of the screen. The last time seen she had long curly brown hair and is short. No one has seen her since yesterday morning."_

I feel pissed as I understand that either Adam or Eli told on me. Maybe that was what I wanted when I gave them their letters…

Damn Adam; he would be the only one to tell. Eli doesn't have a care for me in any way.

A sudden rage goes through me. I chuck my backpack across the room, the contents spilling all over the floor. I scream lowly, making sure the receptionist won't hear me. I kick the bed repeatedly before stomping my way to the bathroom.

I look at my hideous image reflected in the mirror. "You've done this to yourself." I spat at it, my anger well shown. "And you're going to make this go the way it was planned."

…

"That's all we can do for now," The officer says as he leaves the house. Adam thanks him before closing the door, looking back at me with an exasperated expression.

"Do you think she'll call one of us?" I ask hopefully. Adam's face doesn't change as he shakes his head.

"Did you read any of your letter? She wrote that for _you_! You'd understand the whole problem right now if you read it!"

I put my head down in shame. "I thought it was from Imogen—she wont stop bugging me, so I—"

"Trashed it?" Adam cuts me off. I nodded, but quickly defended myself.

"But I got it! I'm just waiting for it to… dry."

Adam rolls his eyes and walks towards the television, turning it off. His whole frame shakes as he ignores my presence.

"Adam?" I ask quietly, waiting for him to face me. His body shakes more frantically as I hear him start to cry.

"I just want her back here." He tries to say. I walk over to him and give him a hug.

"We're going to find her, Adam. I'm going to go—"

"No you're not!" Adam yells back at me, pushing me away. "When you leave, I don't have either one of my best friends! You're taking me with you if you even _try_ to find her—understand?"

I nod my head. "Tomorrow," I reply. "We'll start the search. We need to get the plan down _now_."

…

_I sit in the front pew, tears falling uncontrollably down my face. Priest Richards sits next to me, putting an arm around my shoulders._

"_Hush," he whispers to me, as to not disturb the other worshipers. "You have nothing to fear."_

"_But I do," I cry. "I left home, and I'm stuck. Defeated. I don't remember what I was going to do once I got out of Toronto."_

"_If you go back now, you can still make this all right." Priest Richards assures me, wiping the tears off my cheeks._

_I shake my head. "There's no turning back; I have nothing there anymore."_

"_Are you sure about that?" Priest Richards asks. "What about Adam, Alli, Eli—"_

"_He doesn't love me." I quickly say, ripping off the band aid. "He was the one that I actually thought I would marry, the one I would spend the rest of my life with. But look at where I am."_

_I fall on the ground with a groan, slowly picking myself up. I'm at the park where we used to spend all of our time at; the birds still sing, and the people still laugh._

_Imogen passes by me without a glance. She smiles widely as she sees Eli, running towards him._

"_Eli!" She calls out, extending her arms. She grabs him in a hug which he returns._

"_How's my lady doing today?" He asks, putting a lock of her hair behind her ear. She blushes and looks down; what I used to do._

"_Eli." I state, seeing if he can hear me. He looks over at Imogen and carefully handles her head before kissing her sweetly._

_I stomp my way over to the new couple, bringing my hand up to Imogen's cheek. The sound is heard, but no reaction comes from the girl. I try again and again until I know that it's not helping me._

"_Eli, look at me!" I cry out, watching as he picks up Imogen's hand and they walk by me._

"_Eli!" I scream._

My head shoots up from my pillow as I gasp for air. My nightmares have been intruding my life.

I rub my eyes as I still hear the TV playing. Everything was still like it was when I fell asleep, but today was going to be more intense. If anyone noticed I was the girl on the news, they would call instantly. I had a feeling of it.

My hoodie surrounds my curly hair as I hand the woman at the front desk my room key. She didn't give me any suspicious look like I thought she might have; maybe they don't watch the news here.

My feet spun as fast as they could to my bike, trying to find the nearest, yet farthest from the town, drug store. I had some things to do tonight that needed to be done before anyone caught on.

I park my bike and walk in a store, getting the things that I needed. A woman gives me a look as I try to smile at her. She has something in her eyes that tells me I'm not welcome here, but I would only take a minute to pay.

All my items fall onto the counter as I flash a toothy smile to the cashier. He seems to buy it, and the woman goes behind the counter and to the telephone.

She holds the phone to her ear, breathing heavily into it. The cashier hands me my items in a bag and my cash, but I hear it on my way out.

"Yes—is this the police?"

…

_The paper lies on its back, the warmth of the lamp above disappearing as Cece goes to bed. As she's about to leave the kitchen, she hesitantly picks up the now-dry letter and ponders about on whether or not to read it._

_The telephone messenger beeps, alerting Cece that she missed a call. Clicking the button, still holding the letter in the other hand, she pauses._

_"Hey," a sigh is breathed. "It's Clare."_

_The TV can be heard from the other side of the line as Clare hesitates. "I regret not saying goodbye before I left," she admits, "but I think that if I saw one of your faces, I would've stayed. And that's not what I need right now; I know you'd understand if I told you, but I can't. Maybe if I see you again I won't be a coward to admit why."_

_Silence_

_"This town holds a lot of good memories for me," a laugh breathed out, "and a lot of bad memories. But don't worry about me; you and Bullfrog were two of the best people I've ever met here; I seriously wish you guys were my parents."_

_Another silence._

_"I'm really sorry."_

_Silence._

_"I—I know that Eli's moved on, but I'm hoping that you will remember me, and that you'll have a special place for me in your hearts as I have for you. Please support what goals he makes and the future girlfriends he brings home; it's what I want you guys to do—for me, at least. I'm going to miss you guys."_

_Silence._

Click.

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><p><strong>Please feel free to review :) I love reading them all!<strong>

**PREVIEW:**

"Excuse me," Someone says on the other side of the road. My water bottle falls in my lap as I frantically try to catch it before it falls to the ground. It can't be.

"Have you seen this girl?" Eli asks, holding a picture of me. The woman leans in closer to take a better look before hesitantly shaking her head.

**I know it's short, but if I give you any more, it'll give away things ;)**


	4. Strange World

**Happy Tuesday you guys! Once again I apologize for updating so slowly.**

**I'm surprised that I didn't like yesterday's episode of Now or Never. Does anyone else feel this way? I'm glad that we met Imogen though!**

**Enjoy ;)**

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><p>Chapter 4: Strange world<p>

They're getting closer to finding me. I'm pacing in my hotel room, nearly pulling my hair out.

What's so wrong about a fifteen year old girl running away from a careless family? I'm better off on my own!

My phone continues to vibrate but I don't dare pick it up. I could suddenly decide that I need to come home from just hearing a familiar voice. There is no good end to that situation.

The TV's on a higher volume as I try to listen to it while looking at myself with disgust in the bathroom window. Taking the scissors to my hair, I cut off the length in half.

_Snip_; the scissors cut my hair to a short length. The dark red dye completely makes me look different.

No one will ever find me; no one.

I don't recognize myself anymore; who runs off every night in hopes of not being caught? I don't look anything like a saint; I look like a hooker.

But it works.

…

The third town I'm leaving. It's not as bad as it sounds.

Ever since I've _transformed_, no one's looked at me weirdly. A smile appears on my lips almost naturally now. It's been better since I've left; independence isn't that bad.

I try to write a letter to Eli whenever I get to a new town or city; I don't think I'll send them until I'm out of Canada, if I get that far. They won't be able to find me then.

No one important has called me yet; most are from the dreaded Elijah Goldsworthy. Why does he think I'd want to talk to him after I left? I left to get over my past life, but things are still holding me down.

An unknown number calls me; it might be the receptionist at the last hotel. Did I leave anything?

"Hello?" I ask, continuing down the street.

A heavy sigh comes from the other line. "Clare."

"Do I know you?" I ask cautiously. If people are suddenly getting my number, then I have to chuck it. It could be the police for all I know!

"It's me, Eli."

"No." I almost yell. "I swear if you're tracking my call I'm—"

"Calm down!" He retorts at me. I pause at the train station so that I don't have to multitask. "I promise I'm not tracking your call. I'm in my car with Adam."

"How can I know for sure?" I question him, making sure no police cars are near me. "You won't find me anyway, even with the police on your side."

"Clare," Eli whispers on the other end. "Just shut up for a second; the police honestly don't want my help. I have Adam with me, and for his sake, please just tell us where you are. He's been a mess since you left."

"You're lying." I whisper. "He doesn't care about me."

"But he does." Eli quickly responds. "I couldn't leave by myself to find you; he had to come with me." There's some talking in the background of where he is.

"Where are you?" I ask quietly.

"Uh—" It sounds like he's looking around himself; not in his car.

"Liar!" I yell, chucking the phone on the train tracks. The one time I almost believe him, he lies to me.

…

"We got her location," The chief says. I sigh in relief as he turns to me. "You did a good job, kid; you did the right thing."

"But now she doesn't trust me _at all_." I mutter, covering my face with my hands.

A hand pats me on the back. "It's what you needed to do. If we want a better chance at finding her, we need to break some promises."

I didn't tell Adam why I came here; he was still waiting in the car, listening to Dead Hand. I don't know what made me come here; the first girl I fell in love with after Julia hated me—why should I be helping the cops find her?

Maybe I think it's a favor.

The police tell me to follow them out of the parking lot. Adam looks confusedly at me as we get onto the highway.

"Where are we going?" He asks curiously.

"To find Clare," I murmur, tightening my grip on the steering wheel. "The police were able to track her phone, so—"

"So you broke her trust in you?" Adam growls at me, exasperated. "I can't believe you did that! She trusted you!"

"She never did." I retort. "Maybe you thought so, but I _know_ she didn't trust me!"

"Then why did she pick up the phone?" Adam questions, and I don't have an answer.

"It was an unknown number?" I answer.

He forces a chuckle. "Un-freaking-believable, Eli."

We stay silent for a while before Adam speaks up again. "Did you ever read the letter?"

I stay silent again. Damn it.

"You forgot." He concludes, looking out the window. "Do you want to know what she told me in _mine_?" He asks, and I weakly nod.

"She told me that something had happened; if I had cared enough, she would've written it. I think it had something to do with Jake, but I'll never know." Adam sighs. "She also said that she saw how everyone around her was moving on with their lives and she was still stuck in the past; you have _Imogen_ now, I have Fi, and she has no one."

"That's a lie." I state. Adam looks in my direction.

"It's not," he honestly says. "You know that Imogen's been hitting on you since you guys have become friends. She thinks you guys are already dating! Clare's had to watch you two for _weeks _during play rehearsals; I guess she just finally cracked."

"Why would she think I could move on?" I ask myself.

"Because it looks like you have." He answers quietly.

"It does?" Adam nods.

"You're all happy; good friends, nice family; you seem to have the perfect life now."

"That's what people think," I growl. "But I'm in as much pain as Clare is! I haven't gotten over the whole breakup either. She hurt me!"

"Did you tell her that, or did you just stop talking altogether?"

I think for a moment. "We just… stopped. Clare needed her space, as did I."

Adam sighs. The cop cars stop in front of us as they walk out and look around the area. "Aw man," Adam whines. "I know this place."

I raise an eyebrow. "You do?" I ask. He nods.

"This is the more… sketchy side of this area. It's very… different, you could say."

"Would anyone hurt her here?" I almost growl. Adam jumps out of his seat and out of the car.

"No man," he assures me. "People like to stand out here more—they wouldn't hurt someone because of that."

A policeman jogs back to the cars with a cell phone in his hands. "Does this look familiar?" He asks me, and I instantly know.

"It's hers." I reply, fiddling with my rings. "She's been here."

"It means we're closer," He answers me. "We can ask around the area to see if they've recognized her, but otherwise we're going to have to be patient."

I curse under my breath. I _hate_ waiting.

…

City number four is close; a few miles away.

I know they're getting closer since Eli pulled me out, but I have to continue the ride. It's a never ending journey I'm on the path of.

I nearly fall off my bike as I see three cop cars rush by me. My breathing stops as I see that they're closer than I thought.

I stop for a moment, grabbing my water bottle. While they're passing by, I can try to find another route to go on; one that they wouldn't think of. But of course I don't know the area…

"Excuse me," Someone says on the other side of the road. My water bottle falls in my lap as I frantically try to catch it before it falls to the ground. It can't be.

"Have you seen this girl?" Eli asks, holding a picture of me. The woman leans in closer to take a better look before hesitantly shaking her head. He's… _looking_ for me now?

He has the nerve! Basically setting me up in a trap and then trying to find me on his own?

I tried taking in all I could about his new car; a five-seater with an old paint job. It's probably his dad's old car since he can't drive Morty…

A boy with a beanie sits anxiously in the passenger seat; it was obviously Adam. They haven't changed at all.

Eli's head lowers as the woman walks away from him, looking over at Adam with a pained expression. I can't go over there, as much as I want to; he's got so many tricks up his sleeve that he never taught me.

Adam gets out of the car and they walk into the drug store they parked in front of. I take the opportunity and ride over to the car, opening the trunk. Shoving the items in his car, I close the door, knowing that he heard it.

The emerald eyes I learned to love catch my attention once again.

This was a bad idea.

* * *

><p><strong>REVIEW :)<strong>

**PREVIEW:**

A rock trips me once again, this time making me fall to the dampened ground. I breathe out in pain as I feel my foot protest in the motion.

"Damn it." I mutter under my breath, picking myself up. My expression worsens as I fall back down again, not able to get up.

**Once again it's a rrrreeaaaallllyyyy short preview but that's what previews are ;)**


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